By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
The UTSA women’s basketball team left town on a damp and foggy Monday morning, headed for the American Conference tournament in Birmingham, Ala.

UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe expressed pride in her teammates for their resilience in battling through a season marked by ‘hardships.’ – File photo by Joe Alexander
Coming off a regular-season ending upset victory over the conference champion Rice Owls, players said they feel confident that they can do some damage as the No. 6 seed.
“I’m definitely very proud of us, because we’ve been through a lot of hardships,” UTSA senior Cheyenne Rowe said. “We’ve bounced back a couple of times, and we bounced back against Rice, and that was really amazing.”
The tournament starts with the first-round games Tuesday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, but with a bye, the Roadrunners (14-15, 9-9) open play on Wednesday afternoon.
They’ll take on either the seventh-seeded Temple Owls or the No. 10 Tulane Green Wave.
“I’m feeling confident,” senior guard Ereauna Hardaway said. “Last game was a great win for us. It’s always a good feeling going into the tournament with a win. I just think we’re feeling confident going in.”
About an hour after the UTSA bus left campus, the American released its postseason all-conference teams and individual award winners.
Rowe, a 6-2 forward from Ontario, Canada, emerged as the only UTSA player recognized. She was named to the all defensive team and also to the all conference second team.
In the Roadrunners’ last game, it looked as if they had several players whose names could have appeared on the American’s release of honorees.
Multiple UTSA players contributed in a 61-52 victory as Rice had a 22-game winning streak snapped and were handed their only loss in 18 conference games this season.
In the first half, the ball moved and UTSA’s sometimes sputtering offense hummed. The Roadrunners shot 59 percent from the field. They rang up a 41-21 lead.
“We got the freedom to shoot, so everyone was confident in their shot,” Rowe said, “and everyone shot it. We talked about rebounding. Getting the right shot. Moving the ball.
“So, when we get the right shot, we can rebound in the right positions, and when we get the chance to rebound, we get second-chance opportunities.
“So it was just amazing to see everyone shooting and everyone getting the rebounds. It was great.”
Hardaway credited freshman Adriana Robles for getting everyone involved.
“We were all just playing with confidence,” she said. “It’s always good when you see shots fall, too. It gives you a good rhythm to the game. A good flow.
“Adriana did a great job of getting everyone involved. Everybody was scoring the ball, and we were playing together.”
American Conference
Women’s basketball tournament
At Birmingham, Ala.
Tuesday
Game 1 — (8) Charlotte vs. (9) FAU, noon
Game 2 — (7) Temple vs. (10) Tulane, 2 p.m.
Wednesday
Game 3 — Game 1 winner vs. (5) North Texas, noon
Game 4 — Game 2 winner vs. (6) UTSA, 2 p.m.
Thursday
Game 5 — Game 3 winner vs. (4) Tulsa, noon
Game 6 — Game 4 winner vs. (3) South Florida, 2 p.m.
Friday
Game 7 — Game 5 winner vs. (1) Rice, 6 p.m.
Game 8 — Game 6 winner vs. (2) East Carolina, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9 (championship) — Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Records
(1) Rice 27-4, 17-1
(2) East Carolina 22-9, 14-4
(3) South Florida 20-11, 13-5
(4) Tulsa 19-11, 11-7
(5) North Texas 17-13, 11-7
(6) UTSA 14-15, 9-9
(7) Temple 14-16, 8-10
(8) Charlotte 14-17, 8-10
(9) FAU 13-17, 7-11
(10) Tulane 11-19, 6-12



